


Lovesick

by antlurrs



Category: Ghost - Mystery Skulls (Music Video), Mystery Skulls (Band)
Genre: Fluff without Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-19 00:24:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3589389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antlurrs/pseuds/antlurrs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur gets a nasty cold, Vivi is a potty mouth, Mystery is a sassy little shit, and Lewis is a nervous nelly. </p><p>(Set before the whole cave thing, sort of AU ish I guess. Rated for language and boners.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lovesick

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry if some of my tenses are off. I’ve noticed that I seem to have a problem with them sometimes. There are also a few inaccuracies with the van, such as extra windows and stuff. I apologize for that.
> 
> I sort of depict Arthur’s thoughts as silly little run on sentences without commas and such. 
> 
> Mystery also talks. I couldn't just leave him out of the conversation!
> 
> Dedicated to dontfeeddaelves on Tumblr!

 

It’s really cold.

…well, of course it’s gonna be naturally cold, you think. You’re driving through Colorado in the dead of winter, looking for ghosts, with a blizzard warning looming ahead of you by only 12 hours. Pretty much guaranteed teeth-chatter weather.

But you’re not outside. You’re in the Mystery Skulls van with the heater cranked up full blast. Vivi is driving now, and Lewis is resting in the passenger seat in front of you. Mannheim Steamroller plays quietly on the radio, and the van smells like hot chocolate. Mystery is curled up next to you in the backseat, gnawing on the treats you’d bought him for the holidays…

By all accounts, the situation is perfect. Three friends and their dog, traveling the country, hunting the paranormal…

…well, you think it’s perfect. You might sprout chicken feathers from time to time but you’re pretty happy, and you know your friends are happy too.

Right now, though… you don’t understand why you feel the way you do. _Why is it so cold?_ You’re wearing your trademark orange vest over a tacky Christmas sweater Lewis got you as a joke (you love it) and a thick scarf Vivi dug out of her luggage for you. The heater has been running for at least a few hours now as well…

You shiver, drawing your arms tighter against yourself in your half sleeping state, and you don’t notice Lewis shift around in his seat to face you.

“Arthur, you ok, buddy? You haven’t said anything for a few hours now…”

His voice is soft, worried. Too soft to rouse you from your stupor, and you don’t respond. Mystery whines somewhere to your left. You barely feel him pawing at your vest, but make no effort to wake yourself much further.

“Lew, is something wrong?”

“One sec…”

You don’t even move as you feel Lewis press his bear paw of a hand against your forehead. A soft groan passes your lips; his skin is cool. He must have been holding a water bottle moments ago. You lean into the touch ever so slightly but your eyes remain closed, and Lewis whistles a bit, pulling his hand away.

Even if you feel mostly dead, you still catch yourself missing the contact, and you lean your head against the window again.

“Hit the next rest stop, Vi. I think Arthur is sick.”

_Sick?_

“Sick?” she parrots your clouded thoughts, and slows the van to get into the correct lane.

Bad move for you; your sweaty forehead slides across the window and you pitch forward. Lewis lets out an uncharacteristic yelped curse of “oh, shit!” as your face collides with the back of his seat with a dull _thunk._

Wow, ok, _now_ you’re awake. Your nose, smooshed into the dog dander-y upholstery, itches and the next thing you know, you’re sneezing like crazy. In a flash you pull your vest up over your face. The last thing you want is to snot all over the place because ew germs.

(Also Vivi would attack you and your beloved van with hand sanitizer.)

“Arthur, did you forget your seatbelt _again?!_ ” You hear her shrill from the driver’s seat. You emerge from the puffy confines of your vest, eyes watering and nose running.

“Maybe?” you croak. Lewis snickers because your sinuses are so packed with yuck that your ‘maybe’ sounded like 'baby.' He shuts up when you cough into the crook of your arm and then carry on like that for nearly 30 seconds. Silent, he hands you a fresh bottle of water and you chug it, desperate for the coughing to stop. Your chest _hurts_.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have taken up that old lady’s request to search the woods around her BnB for a yeti the other day,” Lewis says, smiling at you in apology.

“I’m starting to think so too,” Vivi huffs, pulling into a rest stop parking lot, “Seriously, who’s heard of a yeti in Colorado? It’s probably just some jerk in a mask scaring people for fun.”

“Like from Scooby Doo?”

“Yes, Lew, from Scooby Doo.”

“Aww. That would have been cool to catch someone doing that.”

You sneeze again. Sniffling thickly, you pat Lewis’ beefy arm.

“You’ll get to live the dream someday, Freddy,” you say, “But let’s not do it in the snow next time, yeah?”

He fiddles bashfully with his ascot and Vivi snickers at both of you.

“Dorks. At any rate, we’ve been on the road for quite a while now. It’s past lunch time, are you guys hungry yet? You could probably do with a nice hot cheeseburger!”

“Nah. Not hungry.”

The moment the words leave your mouth, you regret them. If you had been moving, Vivi would have crashed the van.

“ _What?!_ ”

You wince at their combined voices. They stare at you as though you’ve grown an extra head, and you’d be laughing at Lewis’ incredulous expression if you weren’t feeling so miserable, but you try to put on a brave face.

“I’m alright, guys. A little under the weather, sure, but I’m ok. Really!”

It's obvious that you're trying not to cough again. They don’t look convinced. Hell, you can’t even convince _yourself_ , but Vivi puts a hand on your shoulder and squeezes gently. You get a happy little flutter in your gut.

(You hope that’s what it is, anyways. You don’t need to puke on either of your crushes.)

“It’s not ok when our Arthur doesn’t want his usual cheeseburger with extra fries,” she says, frowning. “You need to eat _something_ , at least. Let’s go to that Denny’s over there.”

As if to make her point stronger, there’s a thunderous growl from her midsection. _That_ gets you laughing at least, and the four of you head out of the van towards the little diner.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The first thing you do at Denny’s is whine about it not being warm enough. Mystery is hiding under the table, lying right across your sneakers to keep your feet warm, but your teeth are chattering and you’re basically vibrating in your seat.

“Arthur, are you sure you don’t need an extra jacket or anything?” Lewis asks.

You almost want to ask him for his jacket. But then you’d probably burrow into it like a creep in the middle of Denny’s and _oh who cares, you’re god damn freezing._

“It’s Colorado in a flippin’ blizzard, why don’t they have the heat running? Oh my god my toes are gonna fall off.”

“Not if I don’t chop ‘em off first, you big baby,” Vivi says, whacking you with a menu, “Quit complaining or I’ll gag you with Lewis’ scarf thing--”

“It’s an _ascot!_ ”

“What _ever!_ ”

“When my toes fall of I’m _so_ throwing them at you!”

An intense game of footsie ensues.

“Welcome to Denny’s, can I get y’all started on some drinks?”

You all cease kicking each other under the table just in time for a waitress to come by. You and Vivi are almost ready to bust out laughing, so Lewis smiles politely and asks for hot chocolate.

The waitress jots down his order with a sweet smile. “I’ll get you that right away, darlin’. And fer you?” she turns to Vivi, her voice going from warm to flat in seconds. Her eyes seem to take in Vivi’s bright blue hair and she wrinkles her nose.

You wince. _One of THOSE waitresses_. You catch Lewis’ eyes and he makes a face. You’ve encountered enough of these people on your travels that you’re kind of used to them, but that makes it no less annoying to deal with.

“I’ll have some tea, please,” Vivi says, her voice fake cheerful. Her eyes are icy.

You almost snort, but you’d rather not get snot on the table. _Girls are friggin’ weird._

“And fer you, hunny?” The sickly sweet voice is back, and oh god she’s talking to you now. You look up and she bats her fake eyelashes.

 _Dude, really?_ You cough. “Uh… man. I dunno. Vi, what should I get? My throat is scratchy as hell.”

Vivi squeezes your knee under the table, and the butterflies return to your stomach. “I think you should get--”

“Hot chocolate will warm you right up, hun!” the waitress cuts her off with a smile and a wink.

Vivi’s eyes spell murder. Is Lewis going to have to stop Vivi from launching herself over the table to strangle this chick? _Damn_.

“Arthur, you’re better off with hot tea and a bit of honey,” Vivi says smoothly.

“We don’t have honey,” is the immediate response.

“I wonder about that. That’ll be all for now, thanks.”

The waitress gives you one last smile, ignoring Vivi, and stalks off.

You wonder if Vivi is trying to burn a hole in the back of her head with her eyes, and Lewis looks unimpressed. He flags down a different waitress and within minutes, little packets of honey are delivered to your table along with your drinks.

“Well, what do you know,” Vivi grits. “Mother fuckin’ honey.”

“Chicks are cruel, man,” you sigh, and put your head on your arms. You want to just go back to the van, curl up in the back, and sleep for a week.

Lewis agrees with a hum. “Pretty poor way to dig at Vivi, if you ask me,” he says, frowning. Vivi grumbles, but the hand on your knee remains gentle.

(The fact that it simply _remains_ there is enough to give you a few more butterflies.)

“Oh well. Art, you gonna get breakfast or lunch?”

Blearily, you blink at Lewis. He looks so _concerned_. You feel your cheeks darken.

“Don’t want anything, man.” You avoid his eyes and rip a packet of honey open, stirring it into your tea.

His face falls. “You have to eat something, or you’ll feel worse later,” he protests, “At least share some pancakes with me.”

 _Only if you feed them to me._ “I’m alright, really…”

There’s a tickle at the back of your throat. _Oh shit, oh shit, no_. Before it can evolve into another coughing fit, you take a gulp of the hot tea. It burns for a moment, but the honey soothes the tickle away and you sigh in relief.

Vivi must have noticed the slight panic on your face. The hand on your knee tightens and you almost kick Lewis on reflex because _holy shit_ that’s a ticklish spot she just squeezed.

“You’re not getting out of this one, Arthur,” she says sliding the menu under your nose, “Mmm, look, they have burgers…”

You chuckle, shaking your head, but stop when it makes you dizzy. “Sorry, guys… I just don’t have the appetite.”

Mystery whines from under the table, but stops when another waitress comes by the take your orders. Thankfully, they don’t push you to order any food this time, so you rest your head on your arms and close your eyes. You doze a little as they chat about the next stop on your journey. Both your head and your sinuses are throbbing, your chest aches and you feel so, so tired… but you stay awake to listen in anyways, and let your thoughts drift.

You love hearing them talk. Vivi’s voice is fast paced and the tiniest bit nasally, a perfect match to Lewis’ deeper, softer one. They both laugh at something, and you can’t help the way your toes curl happily at how bubbly her giggle is, or how deep his chuckle is as it rumbles up through his chest.

God. You could listen to them talk forever; sometimes, when you all have to camp in the van for an investigation, the sound of them talking way after dark has been the only reason you could fall asleep.

In fact, if you keep listening now, you’re going to conk out right on this damn table.

Vivi’s yammering about another location she keeps getting contacted about on the blog you all run together. It’s all the way over in California, and she is so damn excited about it, it’s next on our list, _oh please Lewis I want to see the ocean too…_

Lewis simply sits and listens; you’d bet a hundred dollars that he’s smiling as he does.

Your happiness turns ever so slightly to heartache. What you wouldn’t _give_ for them to look at you the way he looks at her. He always smiles when he looks at her, his eyes so soft and warm as they stay trained on her face. He’s clearly deeply in love with her.

Hard not to love her in the first place. She’s perfect. She’s cheerful, cute, sarcastic, adventurous and brave, all wrapped up in the tiny little blue firecracker that keeps you boys out of trouble more often than not. The perfect balance to big ole Lewis and his quiet gentleness…

You hate to admit it, but you’ve always had issues with envy; there are so many things you want in life that other people have, particularly this. They have each other, and you have nothing. You’ve always tried to keep the feeling from growing in this situation; but this time it’s harder than normal because you want _both of them._

These two are your life. To you they are the only reason you breathe, and you’re so hopelessly, _stupidly_ in love with them that it physically hurts some times. Of course, you’d never tell them that. You couldn’t bear the looks of disgust Lewis might give you, or the way Vivi would be weirded out…

God, being in love is dumb. It’s dumb and you hate it but you love them and it’s impossible to stop.

Ten minutes later you realize the table has gone quiet. Sleepily, you lift your head and notice that Vivi is gone. Lewis is tapping away at his phone, and looks up as you do. He gives you a warm smile, and motions for you to scoot over to the middle of the booth.

You comply without a second thought, and as you do so, he takes his jacket off and drapes it over you.

Holy shit. Butterfly explosion in your gut.

“You need it more than me,” he says, draping a heavy arm securely around your shoulders, “We’ll go get you some medicine once we find a hotel to stay the night at, alright?”

All you can do is nod, red faced and dazed. This man is going to be the death of you.

“Where’s Vivi?” you ask, rubbing your eyes. How did you not even notice her leave? She was between both of you in the little curved booth.

“Bathroom,” he says, and the arm around your shoulders tightens ever so slightly, “Don’t look now, but the harpy is back…”

It’s rare to hear disgust in his voice. Unnerved, you turn your gaze back to the aisle and there she is, with trays of food.

To your secret happiness, Lewis does not move his arm.

She seems not to care or simply ignores it, because she begins setting the food down with a wide smile.

“Well, here you are, boys,” she simpers, “A breakfast special for the hunk, an extra plate of pancakes, and the club sandwich combo with a side of potato salad… say, you didn’t get anything?” She notices Lewis has situated the plates according to where you all sit, and nothing is placed in front of you.

“Oh, uh. I wasn’t… I wasn’t hungry,” you say, and she tut-tuts disapprovingly.

“Ain’t never heard of a man not being hungry. You want me to get you an order of something? My treat!” The fake eyelashes flutter.

“ _Ahem_.”

The waitress jumps about a foot in the air and sidesteps away. Vivi is there, tapping her foot, eyes narrowed.

With not a word more, the waitress leaves.

“If she comes by again, I’m going to sic Mystery on her,” she grouches, sliding into the booth next to you. Now you are the one in the middle, and as soon as you are properly boxed in, Lewis removes his arm.

Hmm.

“Better check your plate for any spit, Vivi,” Lewis says with a wrinkle of his nose, “She’s the one that brought it.”

“Ew,” you say, making a face, “Gross, bro.”

“Hey, man, it happens.”

Vivi does indeed check her plate. Once she’s satisfied there are no vengeful waitress surprises, she picks up a fry, and immediately sticks it in your face.

“Open up.”

“Wha--”

The delicious stick of fried potato is unceremoniously shoved into your mouth as soon as it’s open to protest. Usually, you’d be like _hell yes fried potatoes_ but right now you’re like _hell no these taste like nothing_.

“Vivi, I can’t taste anything,” you whine. The hot potato scratches at your throat, and you’re just about to grab your tea when a fork loaded with buttery, syrupy pancakes zooms at your face.

Holy crap, he’s actually feeding you the pancakes.

Without even thinking, you accept your fate and eat the pancakes. Lewis pulls his hand back with a smile and cuts more… with the same fork.

“Oi! Lewis, I just got my germs all over that!” You try to steal the fork and are unsuccessful in the pathetic little endeavor.

Not surprising. Lewis is gigantic and you are a twig.

“Don’t care,” he says in a sing song voice, and proceeds to stuff his face with your gross germy fork. “You barely touched it anyways.”

“But--”

“Aaaarthuuuur…”

You turn back to Vivi, and once again she’s shoving food in your mouth. With her fork. Now you understand why Lewis had you move to the middle; they have you trapped so that they can feed you. They both bust out laughing as they see the realization dawn on you.

“Dabbit, you choo!” you say around a mouthful of potato salad. Manners be damned.

They’re both smiling widely. Without a word, they hi-five across the table and your heart grows about three sizes.

Scratch your previous thought. They are _both_ going to be the death of you, and you’re just fine with the idea.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Thanks to your friends, you do in fact eat until you’re full.

Lewis and Vivi have their usual bicker fest over who pays the bill (“It’s my turn!” “No it’s not, you fibber! You paid yesterday!”) as you guys wait for hell’s waitress to come back with your bill.

“You both are goobers,” you say sleepily. Man, you’re definitely ready for a nap now that your stomach is full. “Let me pay it for once, since you guys can’t decide.”

Vivi pouts. “Yeah but you didn’t eat much…”

“Dude, you guys stuffed my face from both your plates. I’m about to go into a food coma,” you laugh, and dig your wallet out of your vest. “I’m paying this time, a’ight?”

You certainly feel a little better now. It’s the least you can do after they made sure their dumb friend was well taken care of.

Vivi sighs, but smiles at you anyways. “Well, alright. Thank you, Arthur.” She pulls you close and kisses you on the cheek.

Exactly _how_ are you not puking butterflies? (Or puking at all, for that matter. God _damn_ you are full.)

To your relief, Lewis is not looking. You’re forever grateful to whatever he’s looking at; you don’t want to make your best friend angry or jealous that his honey is macking on you, no matter how badly you want to kiss her back.

Would he even get angry or jealous? You don’t want to find out.

Turns out, it’s the harpy waitress that’s got his attention. You are a bit less grateful now.

She’s got your bill. “Here’s the bill, just take it up to the counter when y’all are ready.” She hands you the receipt with a wink and sashays away. To your horror, there’s a number scrawled on the bottom with a bright pink gel pen and a hideous smudge of tacky pink lipstick beside it.

“Oh my god her lips touched it,” you hiss, dropping it. Lewis fucking _giggles_ as you wiggle your hands like ‘ew, eeewww!’

“She’s a nightmare,” Vivi spits, tearing the bottom half of the paper off and stuffing it in your empty tea mug. “How has she not been fired yet?”

“Good question, Vi. Goooood question.”

The three of you make your way to the front to pay the bill. Beyond the glass doors, you can see that the snow is coming down heavier now. Unhappily, you pull Lewis’ jacket tighter around your shoulders. It’s about three sizes too big on you and it looks like a blanket with sleeves, but you’re already shivering again. How are you going to even survive this weather?

With a sigh, you pull your wallet out and proceed to pay the cashier. You’d rather get out of here before--

“Hey, darlin’, you get my number in your phone yet?”

Welp.

Your head snaps up. The waitress is leaning over the service counter, giving you her sweetest smile, and the guy at the register rolls his eyes and ignores her, handing you your change. Apparently this is a daily occurrence…

You step back, stammering. Dammit, it’s always the nutty ones that fall for you! “I, uh…”

That’s the last straw for Vivi. Instantly, she is in front of you, drawing herself up to her full height of 5’6” (she’s adorable and you want to squish her) and snapping “Can you do your job instead of picking up on my boys? Thanks.”

_Holy shit._

The cashier’s eyes go wide and he silently goes _ohhhh, BURN!_

Behind you, Lewis cackles and gives the guy an air five.

Harpy waitress isn’t too pleased. Sweetness all gone, she stands, hands on her hips. She sneers at Vivi, ready to bring the sass.

“‘Your boys’? Who says you can have both?”

Vivi sneers back. “Who says I can’t, you nosy tart?”

The cashier loses his shit completely. Your mouth drops open and you think your heart is gonna pop. _What._

There’s no time to dwell on it further; Lewis snags Vivi around the waist, shoots a quick “thank you!” at the guffawing cashier, and pulls you both into the parking lot as the waitress glares at your retreating backs.

Instantly, your teeth are chattering and your muscles are convulsing because _there are four billion tons of white bullshit falling on your head_ and wow you really want to smooch Vivi because what.

Of course, you restrain yourself. Instead, you opt to (try) to play it cool, because if you don’t, you’re going to faint from happiness.

(…at least, you _hope_ that’s the reason you’d ever faint this day.)

You clear your throat. “Vivi, what th--”

“That was _awesome_ , babe!”

You stare, dumbstruck, as they hi-five.

Oh. Maybe it was just a joke? Yeah. Probably just a joke. There’s no way in hell she was serious about that, especially since Lewis finds it so funny. You were just hoping too hard, as usual.

Whoops, you made yourself sad again. You’re a pretty good actor though. Forcing a smile, you slide the side door on the van open, and hop inside without making any eye contact. “Yeah, good one, Vi. You sure had her going!”

_You sure had me going too._

Mystery whines and jumps in with you, pawing at your knee. He always knows what’s going through your mind. Damn smart demon dog whatsit!

“Shh!” you hiss, and smother him with Lewis’ jacket. You don’t need him giving away how you really feel. (Probably what you get for spilling your guts to a god damn talking dog. But you do every once in a while, when things get too heavy on your heart.)

Once Mystery is properly bundled (trapped) and yipping in the jacket, you give them that fake smile you’re so good at.

“Let’s find a hotel, guys,” you say, lying down in the seat. They’re staring at you oddly, but you ignore them. The sadness has crept into your voice, but hopefully it just sounds like you’re tired. “That blizzard isn’t gonna wait.”

_I just want to sleep._

As they climb into the van with you, you don’t notice how quiet they are, or the look that they share as you pull out of the parking lot.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

You’ve been driving around town for 30 minutes now, and your consternation grows with every single ‘no’ you see on the hotel vacancy signs.

_Please let us find one, please let us find one, please…_

“What the heck is going on here?” Lewis mumbles distractedly as you drive by yet another packed hotel, “I’ve never seen such a busy little town before.”

There are cars everywhere. Even in the heavy snowfall, there are tons of people milling around as Lewis maneuvers the van through the streets.

Vivi’s bouncing in her seat. She’s pretty much given up on the idea of snagging a room somewhere, and seems to be all the happier for it.

“Oh my god Lew we’re gonna camp in the snow. WE’RE GONNA CAMP IN THE SNOW! This is gonna be so great!” she’s squealing happily, face pressed against the glass. “I love tourist season!”

“Honey, you _are_ a tourist.”

You’re losing hope by the minute. Any other time, you’d be like fine with camping in the van; hell, most of the time you prefer it. You’re anxious by yourself at night, and getting separate rooms every time you stop makes it worse. But when you can curl up in close quarters with your friends, the sounds of their breathing (or quiet nightly chatter) is your personal lullaby. And most of the time, you can hide just how much you want to snuggle the crap out of them.

But sickness lowers your resistance to those feelings. You lose your sense of caring, and you’re afraid you’ll slip and they’ll figure out how you _really_ feel. So this time, you really do want a separate room…

You sneeze, nearly smacking yourself in the face with your 2DS. Sniffling, you miserably grab a tissue, blotting your already raw nose.

Everything sucks, and Tom Nook is swindling all your bells. _Stupid raccoon_.

“Arthur? Earth to Arthur!”

You look up from the screen. Vivi is completely turned around in her seat, rose glasses almost falling off her face as she bounces. She’s grinning at you.

“Isn’t this great, Arthur?” she asks gleefully, “I’ve always wanted to camp in the snow! We can play Christmas music and drink hot chocolate and tell ghost stories--”

“Vi, this ain’t the season for ghost stories,” you laugh. God. _God_. You love her, she’s so enthusiastic.

“I know, but think about it!”

“I am thinkin’ about it,” you say, and your face falls ever so slightly, “This isn’t a good idea, guys. We have to keep looking.”

_I can’t let you guys see how much of a baby I really am._

Lewis has stopped the van and is on his phone. He looks a little sheepish, and shows you his phone.

“I don’t think we’re gonna have any luck, buddy…” he says, “There’s apparently a festival AND a huge concert in town. And, uh… it’s really popular.”

Your stomach drops as Vivi squeals again.

“Surely there are some motels open,” you plead, “I mean, we’re gonna freeze in this thing, and--”

“We have a space heater, Art!”

 _Dammit, Vivi._ “Uh, well, I mean… I’m sick, and this is really close quarters, and I don’t want you guys to get sick, so…”

“ _I am not getting another round of fleas from an unkempt motel, Arthur_.”

For the first time in forever, it’s Mystery shooting you down. He levels his gaze at you over those little gold lenses and you know you’ve lost.

“You’re supposed to be on my side, you ass,” you snip under the cover of Vivi’s excited chatter. Mystery grins.

“ _Not when fleas are involved, friend_.”

The van is moving again. Lewis is heading towards the freeway, the GPS on his phone buzzing orders. “We’ll just have to park at that truck stop we saw a few miles back,” he says, “It’s apparently the best one for miles and everyone goes there. And Mystery is right, there’s no way in hell we’re ever staying at another 2 star motel. That was horrid.”

He seems to be either ignoring your comment or he just doesn’t care. Vivi sits back in her seat as the van pulls onto the highway, but she looks over her shoulder and gives you a smile.

“It’ll be fine, Arthur,” she reassures you, “It’ll be just fine.”

Ugh, she’s so sweet and caring that you just can’t fight her. Giving up, you grumble to yourself and stare out the window. You can see the snow flurries in the streetlights now. Twilight is upon you, and you yawn again, rubbing your eyes. You want to sleep, but you’d rather not go to bed until they do, for fear of throwing your sleeping schedule off. Even if you’d slept in today, your fever is sapping what little energy you have left. _I’ll have to get some fever reducers…_

Zoning out, you watch the snow swirl beyond the window, eyes drooping shut. You’re actually kind of dreading the night now. What if you cough all night? What if you keep everyone awake? What if you have a fever dream and karate chop Lewis in the face (again)? What if you accidentally drool on Vivi and she hates you forever?

“We’re here!”

Your unhappy thoughts are cut short by an earsplitting squeal from Vivi.

The truck stop is huge; There are a plethora of little stores, fast food joints, and even a diner on the massive parking lot. Around a dozen semis and even a few RVs have taken their spaces for the night, and a group of children are having a snowball fight under one of the many lamp posts near an RV. Lewis backs the van into a spot near the RVs (you are relieved to see a port-a-potty nearby) and cuts the engine. The children stare interestedly at the Mystery Skulls decal on the van, and then continue their snowball fight.

It’s actually a lively place, you realize. _Ok, this is kind of neat--_

Your brain short circuits and you let out a girly shriek as a gust of cold wind blasts you, snow blowing into your face. Vivi has flung her door open and is now rolling around on the ground in the snow. Mystery snaps back into dog mode and vaults over the front seat, barking madly, and flings himself down to join her.

“Whew! Pretty chilly out here, huh?”

You jump. Lewis has also vacated the van, and has opened your door. He grins at the girl and dog, both now making snow angels.

“No k-k-kidding,” you agree, teeth chattering. Ugh, if you were any colder, you’d chip a tooth and go into a hypothermic coma. Despite your hatred of the snow, you force yourself out of the van and Lewis helps Vivi up from the ground.

“Come on, let’s go into that general store,” Lewis says, “Arthur needs medicine.”

“And snacks!” Vivi says, cheeks rosy from the cold. Mystery simply barks agreement.

You resist the urge to roll your eyes. “You sure _you_ aren’t the one that wants snacks, Vi?” you ask, nudging her. She whacks you in the face with her scarf in response, and the four of you trudge through the snow towards the store.

“I could use some mini donuts,” she admits, “But more importantly, if I see you go one more hour without asking for your beloved Doritos, I think I’m gonna lose my mind.”

“Vi, honestly,” you sigh with a small smile, “I’m fine. It’s just a cold, nothing to be worried about…”

As you make your way into the store, the warmth makes you shudder. Lewis does not miss the reaction.

“I get that you want us to think you’re ok, Art,” he says with a frown, “But you aren’t escaping judgment. You’re taking medicine, whether you like it or not.”

You cannot help the way your face contorts in disgust. You _loathe_ medicine. “Noooooo…”

He ignores you, gives Vivi a peck on the cheek, and walks away to the medicine aisle. Mystery follows close behind. _Probably to make sure he gets everything I need. Damn mother hen._

There is no time to grouch about it; Vivi has you by the arm, and you are being forcefully dragged away to the snack section. Once you are safely out of Lewis’ earshot, she turns to face you instead of the chips.

Oh boy. _Here it comes_.

“Okay, we’re gonna have a nice little chit-chat,” she says cheerfully, “Something is up with you lately. Care to tell me about it? And don’t blame it on your cold, either. I know that’s not the issue.”

It comes tumbling out of her in a rush, an undercurrent of something in her voice saying _if you beat around the bush, I’m gonna stick cheetos up your nasal passages._

You groan. “Vivi, honestly, there’s nothing--”

“There is, though! You’ve been acting weird ever since we went to eat,” she cuts you off, stamping her foot. “You’re making us worry. You gotta tell me.”

You scowl. “I don’t gotta _nothin’_ ,” you say like a petulant child, “I’m just sick, Vi. Can’t a guy keep to himself every now and then?”

Something in her face changes, and your stomach drops. _Shit_.

“How’d you know that’s where the conversation was headed? I didn’t even mention anything like that,” she says. Her grin is predatory, and she knows she’s got you like a mouse in a trap. “Spill, you weenie. Why are you pulling away from us? You don’t ever want to stay at a hotel.”

Slapping yourself on the forehead, you turn on your heel and go to find Lewis, but she grabs you by the back of your sweater and reels you back in.

“Oh no, you don’t!” she hisses, “You get back here and you talk to me, you butt. You’re not escaping this.”

“I’m _fine_ , Vi,” you plead, “Really! I just…”

You what? Can’t tell them your cold makes you a giant crybaby? Or that you want to muscle your way into their relationship? That you want to wedge yourself in the middle and demand they pay attention to you too? That you want to smooch the both of them and maybe cuddle and hold hands and stuff?

Your face is turning red. You can feel it steadily get worse as Vivi stares you down over her rose tinted lenses, and finally you break eye contact.

She huffs, but she’s smiling. “We’re gonna find out sooner or later,” she says matter-of-factly, “You tend to figure things out no matter what when you live in a van with someone for extended periods of time, dude.”

“You aren’t gonna find out anything,” you say gruffly, and aggressively wipe your nose. _God damn that burns_. “Don’t even try.”

“Why not just tell us?”

The withering look you shoot her does jack shit, and the only response you get is a delicately raised eyebrow. You shake your head.

“Because it’s nothing. It means nothing and it never will mean anything, and you guys don’t need to worry.”

To your immense relief, she shakes her head but goes no further, and the two of you pick out snacks in silence. Both of you choose enough to fill a bag (most of it is hers) and you take it to the register just in time for Lewis to reappear.

You stare at all the products overflowing in his arms and your mouth drops open. _Oh my god, Lewis_.

“Got you some Nyquil so you can sleep better tonight,” Lewis tells you, “I know it tastes disgusting but you’ll need it. I also got fever reducers, cough drops, chapstick, uhhh… oh, and some of that Vick’s vapor rub for your nose.”

God damn giant sweetheart, how dare he take such good care of you. To ward off your mushy feelings, you make a face. “Gross.”

He hip checks you out of the way, dumping the medicine on the counter and paying for it. “ _You’re_ gross, dude,” he says, “You wipe your nose any more and it’s gonna fall off. You look like a sad parody of Rudolph, to be honest.”

 _Oh hell no_. You stare him down, eyes narrowed and mushy feelings nearly gone.

“I’m gonna wipe my nose on your pompadour. In your sleep.”

“You stay the hell away from my fabulous hair!”

The cashier stares as you and Lewis trade a few bitch slaps, and when you all finally trek back to the van, he and Vivi sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer at you until you pelt them with cheetos.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Lewis was right. You’re pretty repulsive right now.

In fact, you want to sleep in the middle seat, away from them, because you feel so disgusting. Vivi insisted that you slather your nose in the Vick’s rub, and while it IS soothing your raw skin, it feels like you need to wipe your entire face off.

But you can’t wipe the stuff off, of course. Your nose continues to run too, so you improvised with little squares of toilet paper, folding them into neat little plugs and cramming them into your nostrils to staunch the flow.

To top that all off with a revolting cherry (much like the half bag of cough drops you’ve eaten, ugh) you’re aching horribly and sweating like crazy but you absolutely cannot get warm. You’re cocooned in your blankets like a sweaty little caterpillar with snotty tissue jammed up your slimy nose and dammit you just want your fever to go away, you are _miserable_.

You sound like death, you feel like death, and now, viola! You look like death too. In fact, you’re pretty sure you even _smell_ like death.

“ _You smell more like a pharmacy full of the elderly, to be brutally honest_ ,” Mystery says, not looking up from his eBook. You stare at him before realizing you’d said all that out loud.

“Thanks, Mystery,” you deadpan. “I can always count on you to cheer me up.” _Sassy little shit…_

“ _Anything for you, Arthur_.”

Sighing, you put your game down. You don’t feel like playing right now. Actually, you’re pretty hungry. Vivi powered her way through all the snacks (seriously, where does it all go?!) and she and Lewis walked to the KFC next to the store 10 minutes ago. So now it’s just you and Mystery in the back of the van with the giant air mattress to yourselves.

Honestly, you’d be fine if your sinuses weren’t throbbing and you weren’t _starving_.

“I want biscuits,” you whine, flopping on your side. “And coleslaw, and mashed potatoes, and--”

A pillow hits you in the face. You barely see a long tail retreat behind Mystery before it looks like the normal little stumpy one again. _God damn he has good aim._

“ _They’ll be back soon, you big baby,_ ” he says, grinning, “ _Where did this big appetite even come from? They had to force you earlier_.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

You close your eyes against the ceiling lights, head slightly achy. At least this time they won’t have to convince you to eat. Now that you think about it, that was kind of embarrassing. _It’s like they’re taking care of a little kid_.

Once again, you corner yourself with bad thoughts. They’re always looking after you, it seems. You’re just a useless scaredy-cat that tags along with them, aren’t you? Sure, you occasionally get good evidence for them on investigations and you’re fantastic with all the tech equipment, but they’re always keeping you out of trouble. Always making sure you eat, making sure you get enough sleep, comforting you when you’re scared. Always making sure you never end up alone.

But don’t they get tired of it? Don’t they get tired of _you?_

 _Where the hell did all this come from? Shit, man._ You make a face. Whenever you’re left to your own thoughts these days, crap like this comes barreling out of nowhere. Usually you can avoid it. This time however, you’re blindsided, and you stew in silence, distressed and a little peeved at yourself for letting it happen.

Mystery senses your discomfort through the silence and gets up from his side of the air mattress and basically invades your bubble, lying on your stomach. You are nose to nose with him.

“ _You’re doing the thing again, aren’t you? Care to have another heart to heart?_ ”

Chuckling despite yourself, you rub his neck and he wiggles. He always knows. Any time he knows you need to emotionally unload, he’s always there. He never leaves you alone either…

Distracted, you scratch his ears for a moment. He’s watching you expectantly, waiting for the inevitable tsunami of emotion, and then you’re spilling your guts in a frantic rush.

“Do you think they ever get tired of me? Do _you_ ever get tired of me? Like, don’t they ever wonder what it’s like to travel the country and basically live their dream without a third wheel? I’m a perpetual presence and they never get time to themselves unless we stop at a hotel and I _hate_ hotels and all I ever do is fix the van sometimes and eat all their food and play video games and I have _panic attacks_ on investigations and they have to always stop and calm me down and I’m _useless_ , Mystery, _I’m so useless_ \--”

Your voice eventually cracks and your vision blurs, and you realize you’re crying. You aren’t surprised, though; you cry more often than not on these private talks, and this is no different. You are, however, no less angry at yourself for being so emotional about it.

Mystery softly paws at the tears on your cheeks as you sniffle, his eyes sad because he knows what you’re thinking.

“ _How many times have I told you not to bottle these things in?_ ” he chastises gently, “ _Oh, Arthur, you know those two--and myself--wouldn’t give you up for the world. You belong with us, no matter how useless you feel. It wouldn’t be the same without you here_.”

Good lord, crying with a cold is the worst. You sit up and transfer Mystery to your lap, wheezing and hiccuping, and he licks your wrist.

“I… they’re always taking care of me,” you cry, “They never have time to themselves. Surely they get sick of me…”

“ _They don’t,_ ” he reassures you firmly, “ _Because they need you. Haven’t you ever noticed that if you’re not happy, they’re not happy?_ ”

“Bad emotions are contagious, bro.”

He rolls his eyes. “ _That’s not what I mean. When you’re unhappy, they **worry** about you._ ”

You whimper into your hands. “I love them so much,” you brokenly whisper, “I don’t know what to do. I feel like such a burden.”

“ _You’re not. They do not think of you in such a way. I promise, Arthur._ ”

The two of you sit in silence for what seems like an eternity, the only sounds being the storm howling outside and the occasional sniffle or cough from you. Mystery does not go back to his eBook; he sits against your hip, letting you pet his ears until you calm down. Your own personal therapy. A blessing, considering how easily you lose your composure.

Sighing, you discard your little nose tissues in the bin next to the door and grab some fresh ones, dabbing at your face. You feel a little better when you talk to him about these things rather than suffering in silence. Honestly, you don’t know what you’d do without him.

(You thank your lucky stars Vivi has odd taste in pets.)

“ _If you need to talk about anything else, do not hesitate_ ,” Mystery says softly after a while, butting his head against your chin, “ _I am always here_.”

“You’re a life saver,” you croak, offering him a watery smile, “I… I think I’m alright for n--”

 ** _WHOOSH_**.

Both of you jump violently as the van door slides open. Snow immediately pelts you in the face and you squeal, hunching over with your blanket pulled over your head. Mystery goes back to dog mode and yips, jumping on a snow frosted Vivi.

“Sorry, sorry!” she laughs as she and Lewis climb back in, “God, that took forever! We brought back some nice hot food though!”

After some shuffling and bumping around, they finally manage to get the door closed, and you emerge from your blanket and watch as they shed their snow covered outerwear. Jeez, you didn’t even hear them returning over the sound of the wind…

“You guys suck, I got snow in my eye,” you grumble, hurriedly wiping at your tearstained face. _Don’t let them see don’t let them see shitshitshitshit--_

Lewis shucks his coat off, tossing it on his suitcase. “Yeah, sorry about that, that wind is really jammin’ out there, and… dude, are you okay?” His voice goes from carefree to concerned in a split second as he gets a look at you.

Crap. You can’t meet his eyes. “I’m alright,” you say roughly, “I just… I’ve been coughing. That’s all.”

Vivi sits to your left, peering into your face. Uh oh.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she asks, her voice doing _the thing_. You can hear it, that little note that says ‘whatever answer you give me is bullshit and I know it.’

Stubbornly, you meet her eyes because if you don’t she’ll catch you right away.

“Yeah. Gimme chicken,” you gripe, “I’m _hungry._ ”

That seems to be good enough for her. She passes you the bucket, and you delicately pluck a leg from the top, careful not to touch the other pieces.

As you eat, you all chat like normal, but Mystery does not leave your side for the rest of the night.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It’s those ‘mostly asleep’ stupors that you can’t stand.

Everything feels like a dream. Is your foot _actually itching_ , or are you just imagining it? Do you have to use the port-a-potty next to the van or is it just a dream? Well, it’s probably not a dream; usually if you dream of using the toilet, it means you gotta go, right?

But you ignore it. There’s no way in hell you want to wake up from your Nyquil induced sleep to slog through the snow at… what time is it?

 _Ugh_. You stir, clumsily slapping around the mattress for your phone. You find it and hit the home button to awaken it, and _holy Christ_ you need to turn the brightness down, the light is searing your eyeballs.

It’s 2:24 A.M. You’ve been asleep for approximately 3 hours now. And oh, how you want to continue. But you have to pee, and you are absolutely dreading it. You can hear the wind roar outside, and you shudder to think about all the snow, but you gotta do it…

Careful not to jostle the three sleeping next to you, you grumpily pull your snow boots onto your feet and don your jacket, zipping it fully and tugging the hood over your head. You’re still in your boxers, though.

_I’ll be singing soprano by the time I’m back inside._

As quietly as you can, you open the door and jump out, sliding it closed behind you.

_Holy mother of hamsters I’m going to get frostbite on my dingle._

Cursing, you sprint to the port-a-potty and do your business, and then sprint back, hyperventilating. By the time you get back, you’re shaking so hard you can barely get the door open and you’re pretty sure you have a snot-cicle under your nose.

Once inside, you take off your boots and jacket, fully intent on curling back up in your little blanket and going back to sleep. Your eyes have to adjust to the dark again, and you pat around for your blanket on the mattress.

And that’s when you feel it. That familiar dry tickle at the back of your throat, urging you to cough.

 _Shit!_ You immediately panic. The frigid air must have done it. Blanket forgotten, you cast around in the dark for a bottle of water, or the pack of cough drops, _anything--_

You cough once, cough twice, and then you can’t stop. It’s deep in your chest, those hard coughs that stutter your breath, making you choke on your own air. If you don’t get something to soothe the irritated spot in your throat…

Desperately, you grab your phone and use the screen as a light to look for your water bottle and find it between the mattress and the wall. Fumbling at the cap, you drop your phone with a _thunk_ on the floor, chugging the water. Some dribbles down your chin and throat, but you don’t care, your chest heaves and you splutter and it’s _not helping--_

“Arthur?”

Vivi and Mystery sleep like rocks, but Lewis has awakened from all the noise you’re making. (Honestly not surprising, you sound like a dying walrus.)

His sleepy plum eyes widen as you bolt for the door because holy hell, you’re coughing so hard you’re _gagging_ , and on top of the food you ate at dinner you now have a bunch of useless water sloshing around and you know that’s a recipe for disaster.

You fling the door wide and stumble out into the fucking blizzard in your tank top and boxers, coughing and gagging and crying and shivering like mad and whoops you just tripped on your own feet. Down you go, landing face first in the snow, and you inhale sharply at the ice crystals stabbing your exposed skin.

You cough, hard, one last time, and…

Well. There went your dinner.

“Arthur, holy shit, are you ok?”

Lewis’ voice is above you. You flush with shame; you’re an absolute mess. You’re in your pajamas lying in the snow in front of a puddle of your own sick, wheezing and crying and there’s snot freezing under your nose and you’re so cold you just want to _die…_

At least you’re not coughing any more! …right?

“S-s-sorry,” you stammer as he helps you stand, “Coughing f-fit... I…”

Quickly, you kick snow over the mess you made until it’s hidden. You can’t look at him, but he’s close now, wiping at your tears and hushing you gently.

“Shh, shhhh, it’s ok. Hey, you’re gonna be fine, don’t cry, bud…”

He pulls you closer, rubbing circles on your back as you wheeze against his side. You can feel him shivering too; you both look like morons standing in the snow in your undies. Hell, neither of you are wearing your snow boots either. You’d like to laugh at the sheer stupidity, but you’re too afraid to make noise, lest you upset your raw throat. You’re hyperventilating again, but you try your best to calm down, focusing on the warmth of his body.

Coughing fits are the fucking _worst_.

“You gonna be ok?” he asks. He moves in front of you and has both his hands on your shoulders, watching you carefully.

You nod jerkily, and he seems satisfied, pulling the van door open and pushing you inside first. Mystery, though he is an animal, sleeps like a log and does not stir as the door slides open. Vivi is still dead asleep as well, snoring lightly, now splayed out over the mattress all by herself. In Lewis’ absence, she’s hogged all the blankets, and has even stolen his pillow, clutching it tightly.

She giggles, rolls over, and is silent again. How did she not hear all that commotion? _You’re incredible, Vi…_

Immediately you reach for your blanket, still not looking at Lewis. You are so, so goddamn embarrassed, you want to curl up and hide and just sleep forever. Exhaustion overtakes you and you don’t care, you just _don’t care_ any more, your bones ache and you’re dizzy and--

“Arthur, wait.”

You’re on the edge of the mattress, intent on just going back to sleep, but he’s at your luggage, digging through the bag of medicine he bought earlier.

“Yeah?” you rasp. You can see him still shivering in the dim light, and your heart pangs. “Come back to bed before Vivi eats your pillow, man.”

He laughs quietly. “She’s probably dreaming of marshmallows again, you know her. Ah, here we go…” He pulls a bottle out of the bag, and you sag with both relief and dread.

Cough syrup. Tough on coughs, even tougher on taste buds.

“I should have taken it out and left it where you could see it… Sorry about that,” he says sheepishly, “I know you hate the taste of this stuff, heck, everyone does, even Vivi. But I think you should take some.”

You nod tiredly. “Gimme.”

He hands it to you, but it’s not long before you realize you can’t get the cap open. Your hands are quivering, and you huff, annoyed at yourself.

Fuck, your nerves are shot from a _coughing fit_. You truly are useless.

Lewis senses your distress and once again he comes to your rescue, gently taking the bottle from you and pouring the medicine into the little measuring cup.

“Hold your nose,” he says, grinning. You grimace, pinch your nose, and knock it back.

“Ghack…” you shudder with a small gag, earning an alarmed gasp from Lewis. Waving him off, you give a thumbs up, grimacing.

“M’okay,” you gasp, “Guh… damn, that tastes so bad.”

The terrible taste coats your throat, and any remnants of the dry tickle goes away instantly. (Honestly, you think the worse they taste, the better they must work.)

“Better?” he asks after a few seconds. You nod and he takes the little cup from you, putting it and the bottle away in the bag. “Alright, man, let’s get you back to sleep. You’re a wreck.”

He’s definitely right about that. Your whole body is quaking with chills, and now that you’ve calmed a bit, you notice that you do actually feel kinda queasy from losing your insides…

Trying not to think about it, you shakily pull your blanket around you and lie down again. Lewis follows suit a second later, and you watch him pull the blankets out of Vivi’s grasp and tug them all the way up to his neck with a small shudder.

The guilt comes flooding back.

“Lew?” you start meekly.

“What’s up, buddy?”

You shut your prickling eyes and your throat constricts slightly. His voice is so _gentle_.

“I… I’m sorry.”

There’s a bit of shuffling, and suddenly there’s a powerful arm pulling you across the mattress.

“You hush,” he says as you splutter in shock, “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”

Face burning, you don’t reply as he tucks you against his chest and tugs his side of the blanket over you. Already you can feel heat from his body seeping into yours and you can’t help the little shiver that goes down your spine.

He doesn’t remove his arm.

This is dangerous territory, and you’re too close to being lulled into a state of complacency… but your exhaustion and overall _wanting_ is too much, so against your better judgment, you allow yourself to be held.

“No wiping your nose on my hair, though, or I’ll drown you in the leftover potatoes.”

“Oh my god, Lewis.”

There’s that deep, rumble-y laugh you love so much. You sigh a little, content as he squeezes you.

“Go to sleep now, bud.”

And you do.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The first thing you realize as you wake is that you can’t move.

You don’t open your eyes yet, opting to listen to the wind blow beyond the van walls. It doesn’t sound as bad as last night, but you can hear the telltale ‘plinkplinkplink’ of hail and rain on the roof.

_Well, you think, at least it’s not snowing._

You clear your throat a little, wincing at the blocked feeling in it and your sinuses. While you certainly feel a bit better, you are by no means well again.

You try to open your eyes and find them stuck shut with sleep gunk, but as you go to raise your hand to wipe them you find that you kinda can’t.

After a few moments of struggle your eyes unstick and pop open, only to be obscured by bright blue bed head.

 _Oh my asdfghjkl_. You can’t even think. Vivi, adorable Vivi, the girl of your dreams, is in front of you, literally almost using you as a body pillow. Her head is tucked under your chin and her arms are clasped tightly around you, pinning your own down. She’s also thrown a leg over your hip.

You blush as she snuffles a little in her sleep and noses closer against your collarbone.

_So. Cute._

How did she even get here though? She was sleeping on the other side of the mattress and Lewis was in the middle…

“Hrrmmmgh…”

Your eyes widen at the sleepy mumble ghosting against the back of your neck. _Speak of the devil..._

Lewis is freaking _spooning you_. Your brain malfunctions and you feel your cheeks blaze. He too has an arm around you, with his hand clenched in the front of your shirt, right over your heart.

 _Oh man. Ohhh man oh man…_ what do you even do? What if they wake up and see what they’re doing? What if they never let you sleep next to them again? What if…

 _Okay, no. Not doing this_. Steeling yourself, you push those thoughts out. You are _not_ going to do this, not now. Determined not to ruin the moment, you firmly remind yourself that it was _Lewis_ who started the cuddling last night. And since then, you have not moved places at all, so it was _Vivi_ who moved to the other side of the mattress. (perhaps on a sleep induced accident after a potty run, but hey, you’ll take what you can get.)

Somehow, you are able to convince yourself to relax and enjoy the cuddling. After all, you’ve wanted this for the longest time, haven’t you?

Pleasant little waves of goose bumps break out all over you as you hear and feel them breathe against you. Vivi’s silly little snores tickle your collarbone, and you smile to yourself. She’s pretty intimidating when she wants to be, but in her sleep, she’s like… an adorable little kitten or something.

Wait, no. You had a kitten when you were 7, and that little fucker scratched the shit out of you. Not cute at all. Vivi’s more like a hamster. (You’re less concerned about something with bitey little teeth. At least a hamster won’t scratch your face off.

Also, you love hamsters.)

“Oh my god,” you quietly groan to yourself. _I have issues. Focus, you idiot. Stop thinking about animals._

Right, where were you? Vivi is adorable, and…

“Mmf…”

_And Lewis is a cuddle bug._

Despite the occasional little mumble every now and then, he’s a silent sleeper, no matter what position he’s in. You’re kind of grateful for that; you don’t need _two_ people that snore like off road motorcycles every other night.

Actually… this is the first time in a while he’s come close to talking in his sleep. _I wonder if he’s dreaming ‘bout something?_

Very slightly, you shift your shoulder to get more comfortable and end up pulling away from him a little. He responds by gripping you tighter against his chest and burrowing his face into the nape of your neck with a soft grumble.

Basically, you melt. You feel like you could stay like this, forever enjoying the cuddles, but your eyelids are drooping again. Unfortunately, you can’t get to your phone so you don’t know what time it is, but maybe passing out for a bit longer won’t be such a bad idea… plus, the slow, steady rhythm of Lewis’ broad chest expanding and contracting against your back is lulling you to sleep.

Lewis must be fine tuned to your movements even in his sleep, because when you go to shift once more, he moves in closer, this time with his entire body flush against yours.

For a split second, you’re like _hell yes_ because he’s like a damn furnace and you’re still suffering from fever chills--

And then you feel it.

_Oh Mary mother of **Christ.**_

“Ow… huh?”

Vivi’s awake. You _do_ panic this time; your mouth had dropped open in shock, and your chin thumped her neatly on the head.

“I… I,” you say, barely able to speak through your embarrassment, “Sorry. Uh… morning.”

_Oh my god, oh my god, **oh my actual kick-flipping jesus-**_

She pulls back slightly, stretching and yawning as she blinks away the sleep in her eyes. Finally, she focuses on your face, and smiles brightly.

Man, you want to go back to snuggling her, she is _adorable_ in the morning with her hair all messed up, but you’re pretty close to freaking out.

“Good morning to you too, fluffy,” she teases, and sweeps your ungelled hair off your forehead. “How did you sleep?”

“G-great,” you lie. You absolutely will not tell her about your little adventure with Lewis last night. If you did, you’d probably explode.

She pulls away a little more to get a good look at you.

“What’s up, buttercup?” she asks, “You look like a tomato… oh.”

She finally notices that Lewis is pretty much using you as a teddy bear. You glare at her as she slaps her hands over her face, giggling.

“That’s _adorable_ , oh my god,” she whispers gleefully, “He’s like a giant purple koala…”

Said giant purple koala is still dead asleep, but one part of his anatomy is _very_ awake and making it’s presence known against your backside. His breath has become hot against your skin, and now you’re shivering for quite a different reason.

“Why do you look so embarrassed? Do bro cuddles bother you?” she snickers, “I could wake him up for you, if you want…”

She reaches for Lewis’ arm, but you slap it away in a panic and her eyebrows disappear into her bangs.

“No!” you hiss, eyes wide, “Dear god, please… don’t wake him. I am fucking begging you. Don’t even touch him!”

“Why not?” she asks, frowning, “What’s wrong? You’re really jittery for someone getting cuddled with.”

If possible, you feel your face get even redder.

“H-he’s… he’s dreaming,” you say hoarsely, and she gives you a weird look.

“What on earth is that supposed to mean and why are you reluctant to snap him out of his ‘dream’?” she asks.

For someone who’s accustomed to cracking dirty jokes, she’s surprisingly slow on the uptake. You grit your teeth. _I have no choice_.

“I’m pretty sure he’s dreaming about you. Please don’t make me spell it out even further, Vi.”

There is a beat of silence as she processes this. Then, her eyes widen, and she gives a shrill giggle and slaps her pillow over her face.

“Oh my _god!_ ” Her voice is thankfully muffled by the pillow, but you can still hear her laughter.

“Shhh, shut up!” you plead, “He’ll wake up!”

You really don’t need that. Sure, you’ve had your share of naughty dreams about them too, but this is definitely not what you wanted to wake up to this morning, especially since you have no idea what Lewis would do if he realized…

Dread settles into the pit of your stomach, and Vivi emerges from her pillow, still giggling quietly. Why the hell is she so _amused_ by this? Her boyfriend has stiffy against your butt and she’s got the worst case of the funnies you’ve ever seen, what the shit.

“Oh, man,” she whispers, “The look on your face is amazing, I should take a picture.”

“You better fucking not,” you warn, “I’ll tell Mystery to pee on everything you love--”

“Which wouldn’t work because he’s _my_ dog--”

“I don’t even care, I’ll bribe him with hotdogs or some sh--”

“Hmmmff…”

Both of you freeze. The hand over your heart flexes. _Lewis is waking up_.

 _What do I do?!_ you mouth to Vivi frantically. Lewis shifts behind you a bit, and you remember to keep your body slack so he doesn’t catch on.

 _Pretend you’re asleep!_ she mouths back, and then shuts her own eyes. You follow suit, trying your best to keep your breathing slow and even.

For a few moments, nothing happens. Lewis grumbles a bit against your neck as he slowly wakes and doesn’t do much else. You lie still, hoping he doesn’t see your red ears…

Then, your heart leaps to your throat as you feel him go rigid as a board and hear his breath catch in his throat.

“Oh my fucking-- _oh, no_.”

You can hear the mortification in that one choked whisper; you crack your eyes open and see Vivi’s eyes sneaking a peek as well, but she’s less subtle about it. Her mouth has dropped open.

Lewis rarely ever utters that word.

He rips his arm from around your chest and vaults off the mattress, leaving your back cold.

“No, no, no no no, oh my… Holy shit, you _idiot_ \--”

Both you and Vivi stare at each other as he gets dressed, berating himself in harsh whispers. You can tell Vivi’s trying not to laugh; quickly, you look over your shoulder to make sure he’s still occupied, and then you whack her with the blanket.

 _Jackass!_ you mouth. She grins in response, then rolls over, stretching and yawning loudly.

“Mmmm… Mornin’ Lew, what’cha doin’?”

You snap your eyes shut, listening. _Vivi, what the hell are you doing?!_

If she draws attention your way… if he sees your face, you’re done for.

The shuffling continues as he pulls his pants on.

“I… nothing, Vi. Go back to sleep,” he says. His voice is tight and slightly higher pitched than normal. It sounds like he’s still turned away from you.

Vivi does not get up, and reaches for her phone. “Babe, what’re you gettin’ dressed for? S’only 7:30!” she says, faking sleepiness, “What’s the rush?”

He doesn’t reply immediately, donning his coat and boots and switching the space heater off.

“I just… I figure we should… get a move on,” he says, obviously searching for the right words, “This weather isn’t good for Arthur, after all, and we’ve got cases to take care of, so we may as well leave as soon as we can, and…”

He trails off.

“And what, hun?” She asks. Something changes. Her voice is soft, and you want to open your eyes and see her face, but you don’t want to risk it…

Lewis sighs. “It’s… nothing. I’ll talk later. You just go back to bed for a while, alright?”

And with that, he climbs over the seats, plops behind the wheel, and starts the engine.

You feel Vivi fall back on the mattress and finally open your eyes. Despite the sudden mood change, she’s still smiling.

You, however, are not.

“He’s disgusted,” you whisper frantically, “Oh my god, he’s grossed out, he’s gonna hate me later, oh my g--!”

Vivi slaps a hand over your mouth. “He is not,” she whispers back, rolling her eyes at you, “Don’t jump to conclusions, dummy!”

When she removes her hand, you’re still panicking.

“Then why do you find it so funny but he doesn’t?!” you demand. Your face is now actually draining of color, and she notices right away.

“Don’t do that,” she says firmly, “I know you’re letting your bad thoughts get away with you. Stop it right now, you hear? It’s not what you think. I can absolutely assure you of that.”

You take deep breaths, focusing on her voice and forcing yourself to calm down.

“But… how do you know?” you ask weakly, “If he’s not disgusted then why’d he freak?”

“He’s _not disgusted,_ Arthur,” she says, “Relax.”

Relax?! There’s no way you can relax. If he’s not grossed out then what was up with his reaction? He basically woke up spooning his best bro-friend with a hard on. What else could the reaction have been from? Your head is spinning, thoughts flying fast, and you start worrying your lip between your teeth…

Also, why is she avoiding the damn question?

Vivi smacks your arm. “Knock that off, you’re gonna hurt yourself.”

“Ow.”

“I’ll talk to him later,” she continues, “For now, don’t worry about anything. He’s probably worried about freaking _you_ out, you know?”

You don’t respond. How do you respond to that now, anyways? ‘Actually, I’m pretty cool with waking up with your boyfriend’s boner in my backside’?

Somehow you don’t feel like that’d go over too well.

“I… still don’t get what’s going on,” you groan, “Can’t you just tell me what the hell is going on? Why aren’t you flipping but he is?”

Hell, even in your tired, sickness addled stupor, you can tell something is weird. Ever since you’ve known these two, cuddles weren’t an issue with any of you, but then you developed your crush and began pulling away, afraid of letting it slip. Their habits didn’t change when yours did… not really.

But then when you think about it, you realize Lewis had been pulling away too, over time. So why did he suddenly decide to go back to being close for the last few days?

Fuck, your head is starting to hurt again, too. It’s way too early for this.

Vivi pulls the blankets back up over the two of you with an amused smile.

“It’s nothing, Art,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows at you. You draw a blank for a second, then…

“Oh, so now you’re pulling _that_ line out of your ass?!”

“Hey, you did it to me at the store. Unless you tell me what’s up with you, you ain’t gonna know what’s up with us, bucko.”

She winks as you glare at her.

“You suck.”

“So do you, hun,” she says, ruffling your hair affectionately. “Go back to sleep for a little while, alright? We’ll go get breakfast in a little while after Lewis has had some time to… think.”

You pout, and then glance over your shoulder. You can barely see the top of Lewis’ sleep ruffled hair swaying ever so slightly as the van rumbles down the road.

With a soft, troubled sigh, you close your eyes and curl into a ball at Vivi’s side.

_I hope he doesn’t have an over thinking problem like I do._

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When you wake next, the van is quiet and unmoving.

You crack your eyes open a little. It’s still quite dark, and you can’t hear rain or hail any more, so either it’s stopped altogether, or…

“ _Arthur, wake up! It’s snowing again!_ ”

The air is knocked out of you as Mystery jumps on top of you, his little tail going haywire.

Half asleep and instantly grumpy because _it’s cold in this damn van_ , you grab him and pull him under the blanket with you, trapping him in a bear hug.

“Nope,” you mutter, “Nope, nope, nope. Snow sucks. G’night.”

“ _It’s like 10 in the morning, you absolute dweeb. Let me up_ ,” he whines, wiggling in your arms.

Reluctantly, you let him go and he bounds away. You reach for your phone, yawning hugely.

“Where is everyone?” you ask, sitting up. “And where are we?”

All you can see through the window is the front of a McDonalds. To your annoyance, it is in fact snowing again.

“ _They’ve gone inside to get breakfast_ ,” Mystery says, “ _Vivi woke about an hour ago. Of course she was hungry, so Lewis stopped us here for now… I’m not sure where in the state we are, though_.”

You grimace, getting up and switching the space heater on. If they were inside getting food, that meant they’d be back any minute now… In all honesty, you don’t feel ready to face them after what happened this morning, even after Vivi told you it was no big deal.

As you rifle through your suitcase for your hairbrush, you can’t help but wonder why their reactions to the situation were so starkly different.

“Did, uh… did Lewis seem a bit… odd to you this morning?” you ask casually, brushing your hair. You still don’t feel like putting in the effort to gel it, so you leave it as is.

“ _Whatever do you mean?_ ”

He must not know what happened. Weird, considering Vivi gossips about everything with him…

Shaking your head, you dress yourself quickly. Determined not to dwell on it, you put your brush away and pull your phone out. According to Google Maps, you are now a few miles away from the border of Utah.

“Oh my god,” you gripe, tossing your phone at your suitcase, “That’s right. It snows in flippin’ Utah too…”

“ _Of course it does, you boob_ ,” Mystery scoffs, “ _But anyways… what’s this about Lewis acting strangely?_ ”

“Wow, you are freaking relentless.”

He gives you a look. You respond with a drawn out whine, flopping back on the bed and smashing your pillow over your face.

“For once, I don’t really wanna talk about it,” you say, voice muffled, “It’s… kind of a touchy subject.”

“ _You’ve never had an issue discussing a touchy subject with me before, Arthur_.”

“This is beyond touchy. This so fully transcends touchy that it is the touchiest of touchy ever will be, the epitome of touchy subjects and… ok, that got away from me.”

Mystery laughs his weird little wheezy dog laugh and jumps on your back, lying down with his head between your shoulder blades.

“ _So, this is one of the more embarrassing things, then,_ ” he asks, and you hum in agreement. “ _Well, I could always ask Lewis instead…_ ”

You… do not like the tone in his voice. You turn your head to glare at him, but he’s looking over you and out the window.

_Please don’t be them coming, please don’t be--_

The door slides open and you grimace at the bright light assaulting your sleep weakened eyes, smooshing the pillow back over your face. So much for that!

“Rise and shine, Mr. Fluffy!” Vivi says in a singsong voice as she climbs into the van, “We bring chicken nuggets!”

You groan pathetically as Mystery vaults off your back. You didn’t even have time to mentally prepare yourself after you woke up, dammit!

“I won’t even be able to taste them,” you say miserably sitting up. You very pointedly do not look Lewis’ way as he shuts the door behind him. “Why even bother…”

Even if you haven’t eaten in over twelve hours (a record for you, no joke) you still don’t feel like eating. You’re so conflicted and worried over everything it’s messing with your already shoddy appetite.

“Because you need to eat so you don’t shrivel up and blow away?” Vivi says, flopping on the mattress and almost catapulting you off of it, “We could always tie a string around you and use you as a kite. Wouldn’t that be fun, Lew?”

He doesn’t respond. Worriedly, you look his way. He’s not facing either of you, and you can see him slowly pawing through his suitcase. His shoulders are sagging and his hair is still fluffy and unstyled…

Okay. You don’t care how embarrassed you were this morning, something isn’t right here. You open your mouth to say something, but Vivi waves her hand, shushing you. She’s got that god damn smile on her face again, and you stare at her, incredulous.

 _Just wait,_ she mouths at you with a wink, _he’s ok_.

If it was anyone else saying that, you wouldn’t believe them.

“Lew, quit messing with your stuff and come eat, babe,” she says, “Your sandwich is gonna get cold.”

A moment passes. Then, a soft sigh is his only response, and when he finally turns around, your mouth drops open.

 _Holy shit_. His eyes are red rimmed and bloodshot, dark bags beneath them, face drawn and pale. He looks completely worn out and you are instantly on edge. The man’s not even wearing his ascot!

What the hell happened to him? Did something happen when you were asleep? Mystery didn’t say anything…

Speaking of Mystery, you glare at him. Surely he’d seen Lewis’ state beforehand, there’s no way this could have happened in the span of time you’ve been awake. Why did he lie to you about it?

He ignores you, chowing down on chicken nuggets. “Fat ass,” you mutter, and he utters a short barked laugh in response.

Your alarm goes unnoticed to Lewis; he avoids your eyes and sits heavily on the other side of the mattress, leaning against the wall next to Vivi. He takes his sandwich and eats silently, not looking up once.

You stare at Vivi expectantly. She’s got some explaining to do when breakfast is over.

“So, Arthur,” she says, breaking the silence cheerfully, “I’m gonna be taking the next driving shift. If you’re feeling ok later, do you want to…”

Lewis is shaking his head. “No, Vi,” he says, cutting her off, “I’m taking the next shift, he’s still sick.”

Oh _hell_ no. “You don’t look much better, Lewis,” you say sharply, and he finally looks right at you, surprised. “In all honesty, you look like you got hit by a bus. What the heck happened while I was asleep?”

He doesn’t say anything, but you notice a bit of color returning to his cheeks, and he breaks eye contact. Vivi gets that goddamn grin on her face again, and slings an arm over his shoulder.

“Not much,” she says lightly, “Driving, chatting, self discovery… you know, the usual.”

“Self discovery,” you repeat flatly, “And what does that entail?”

Lewis looks like he’s trying to hide behind his sandwich rather than eat it.

“ _We have discovered that Lewis harbors quite the odd anxiety problem and spent a majority of the morning… dealing with it,_ ” Mystery pipes up, and your eyes widen in alarm.

“What the fu- oh my god, Lewis, are you okay?” you ask, because _holy shit,_ anxiety is the worst, and you know it first hand, but _Lewis?_

God dammit, why do these things happen when you’re asleep?

Lewis is glaring at Mystery like he wants to light him on fire. “It’s not an issue,” he says roughly, “No need to make a big deal out of it.”

“ _Oh, but I believe it is an issue_.” Mystery’s voice is suddenly firm, “ _And you know it_.”

“Please just drop it.”

“But Lewwww…”

He’s beginning to lock up; you can see it in the way his shoulders have gone rigid, the way his eyes refuse to raise from their fixed position. Your heart twinges, and you hold your hand up, shushing Mystery and Vivi.

“I don’t know what’s going on between you three, but… I kind of can’t let that go, dude,” you say softly, and his eyes lose their edge. “I know what anxiety feels like. You know I do. So I can’t just… not care, you know?”

He’s silent. But you need to get to the bottom of this.

“Lewis… tell me. What happened?”

He shakes his head, bangs flopping in his face and hiding the exhaustion in his eyes.

“It’s nothing,” he squeaks, and Vivi sighs explosively.

“Lew, you’re a pretty terrible liar,” she says, exasperated. “Alright, let’s get to the point already, you look like you’re ready to freak, Arthur. While you were asleep, we were talking about a possible… relationship change.”

You swear to god, the air in your lungs freeze.

“What?!” you screech, and the three of them jolt in surprise, “No, no no no no oh my god, what do you mean relationship changes, you can’t possibly-- _ARE YOU BREAKING UP?_ ”

Lewis is staring at you like a deer in the headlights, and for a moment the only noise is your panicked breathing and the wind outside.

And then a chicken nugget lands in your mouth.

“Whafthsfhgh?!” You had no idea your mouth was hanging open. Whoops.

Lewis utters a short ‘ha!’ as you spit the nugget out. You glare at Vivi, who is now rolling around on the bed, hands over her face. Lewis whacks her with a pillow, and when she only laughs harder, he turns his gaze to you. For the first time, he cracks a tired smile.

“No, Art… we’re not breaking up,” he reassures you, “We--Vivi, for _goodness sake_ \--really, we’re not breaking up, please don’t worry.”

“I am so fucking confused, dude,” you whine, and curl your fingers into your hair. Your heart is hammering in your chest so hard you think it’ll crack a rib any minute now.

Honestly, what else were you supposed to think? If they broke up, your dreams--however unattainable they are--would be shattered.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry… uh… do you need a moment? You’re starting to look pale,” Lewis says worriedly, and you shake your head.

“She made it sound like you guys are gonna break up! That scares me because I ship you two like Fedex--Mystery, don’t give me that sassy fucking eyeball--and I mean you two as a couple is literally the only normalcy around here, and… Lew?”

His face is so, so fucking red, and he slaps his hands over his face. Vivi’s is too, but she’s laughing so hard she’s gasping for breath, so there’s that.

“G… guys? I wasn’t kidding,” you say, “Can you just… tell me what’s going on?” _Preferably before I have an aneurysm…_

“Vivi, help me, I’m chickening out,” Lewis whimpers, slapping her with another pillow. “Babe, stop laughing!”

“I can’t help it!” she cackles from beneath the pillow, “ _He ships us like Fedex!_ ”

“ _You need to get off Tumblr, Arthur_ ,” Mystery says, and dodges another thrown pillow from Lewis.

This is absolute chaos, and if you don’t get some answers soon, you’re going to explode. So you grab Mystery around the middle and haul him into your lap and fling the pillow back at Lewis, and all movement (save for Vivi’s flailing) halts.

“Alright, everyone, _chill_ ,” you demand, “Just tell me what’s going on! There’s a relationship change going on, I get that. What I don’t get is why Lewis is so reluctant to let me in on why he’s so _bothered_ when _Vivi_ obviously isn’t! What does it _mean?!_ ”

Vivi’s giggles quiet a bit, but they don’t stop, and Lewis throws his hands into the air as Mystery turns his nose up.

“Dammit, you two are no help,” he grouches, lightly kicking Vivi’s foot and glaring at Mystery, “You guys were freaking _ecstatic_ this morning, gossiping over how _cute_ the idea was, how excited you’d be to spill the beans to him _and now you’re making me do it when you know how I feel_.”

Your mouth drops open. You guys? “…wait, that means…”

As you slowly turn your gaze down to the canine in your lap, his lips twitch, and then he’s grinning.

“ _Yes, Arthur, I’m in on this too_.”

The hell.

“…are you gonna tell me what’s going on?” you ask, eyes narrowing.

“ _I fear if I don’t Lewis will have a heart attack, so I will cut to the chase. I squealed on you this morning, and this resulted in the aforementioned ’relationship change’ between these two. Lewis, shall I go further, or will you break the news yourself?_ ”

The silence is deafening. Lewis makes no move to reply, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Even Vivi has stopped giggling. Her eyes peek out from under the pillow, watching for a reaction.

And react you do. Mystery feels you tense and kicks out of your grip as you go into a full blown panic.

“You fucking _what?!_ ” you screech, and you lunge for him. He barely evades your skinny fingers and vaults over the seats. “Mystery, I fucking trusted you, how could you?!”

“Arthur, wait-!”

“You _furry little asshole_ -”

All rational thought leaves your brain and all you can think as you attempt to grab him is that _they know you are in love with them, they know every single fear and want you’ve ever told this fucking dog_ -

You ignore Lewis’ startled cry and launch yourself across the seats--or try to. Your foot gets caught in someone’s luggage handle and you trip, your hips colliding with the back of the seat and effectively stopping you cold.

Vivi’s laughing uproariously behind you.

“ _Lewis, it’s now or never!_ ” Mystery calls from somewhere in the front, “ _You’re the only one that can bring this to a close, because from the sound of it, Vivi is probably not going to help any time soon!_ ”

“Hell no, this is hilarious,” she crows, “I wish I had popcorn!”

“ _You can have Arthur’s popcorn. Wink wonk_.”

“That doesn’t even make sense, you _dick!_ ” you wheeze. God dammit, now he’s making jokes to them about it?!

You’re still draped over the seat and slightly winded, and you do not attempt to pull yourself up again. It feels impossible to face them, and you want to die of embarrassment. _They know. They know everything, I’m so **screwed…**_

“Yes, Art, we know everything,” Lewis says softly behind you.

“Fuck, I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

He doesn’t respond to your pathetic humor attempt, and your heart sinks. “L-listen, guys, I-?!”

One of them has you around the middle, hoisting you off the seats. It’s probably Lewis, Vivi’s a noodle like you, there’s no way she’d be able to do this… You also refuse to open your eyes, so there’s that. It’s a bit childish, but you absolutely cannot face them now, Mystery ruined everything, Vivi’s probably laughing at you and they’ll kick you out of the van and they’ll never speak to you again and now you’re being flipped onto your back and-

whoa

what

There are lips on yours.

Vivi squeals to your right and your eyes pop open in shock. Lewis is _kissing you_ , his giant hands gentle on either side of your face, steadying you as you receive both the most tender and most _desperate_ kiss you’ve ever experienced-

And as soon as it began, it’s over. You bite back a whine as his hands leave your face and he sits back, cheeks dark. This time, his eyes do not stray from yours, and you’re too shocked to look away.

“L-Lewis-”

“My turn, my turn!”

You barely have time to register the annoyance on his face before Vivi fills your vision, straddling your lap. She gives you a cheeky smile and a wink before kissing you sweetly, her arms draped over your shoulders. This time, you are semi prepared, and nervously kiss her back.

You literally don’t know what to do other than simply give her a simple smooch. Kind of embarrassing… but you don’t have much time to dwell on it; her kiss is short too, and she pulls away, falling flat on her back with a sigh next to Lewis as you dazedly reach up to touch your lips with quivering fingers.

Your brain’s default setting is to think the absolute worst of any situation. This is most definitely not the worst thing that can happen, and you draw a blank. The adrenaline rush is making your ears ring.

It feels like a dream.

“He kisses like a virgin, Lew, isn’t he adorable?” you hear Vivi say gleefully.

“Vi, that’s not nice. He kisses just fine.”

“A-am I dreaming?” you whisper, “Someone punch me in the face. I need to make sure this isn’t a dream.”

_If this is a dream, I think I’ll have to go back to my meds when I wake up…_

Lewis gives a quiet, shaky laugh. You note with a bit of relief that the tension has mostly broken, and he doesn’t look so panicked any more. He also seems to be able to look you in the eyes again, albeit with a heavy blush, and he smiles at you with that sweet fucking smile you’ve dreamed of nights on end.

God dammit, he’s so fucking attractive. _Please, kiss me again, you beautiful bastard._

“I’d… rather not sully the face I intend to kiss, Arthur,” he says, shuffling closer to you and tentatively taking your hand. You immediately grip his fingers tightly and Vivi rolls herself next to your legs, draping herself across them. She stares up at the two of you, smiling brightly, and you cannot help stare back, eyes wide.

“ _I’d_ rather just keep smooching, to be honest,” she says, “If you’re down, of course, Arthur.”

 _Well, damn it all_ , you think, _the one person that has all the confidence with this crush bullshit, and it’s the girl._

Relief and happiness overwhelms you, and you scrub your eyes, trying not to cry and failing miserably. The two people you’ve dreamed of kissing for years just kissed you of their own accord. Your dream just became _reality_. Holy crap. You can barely believe it, and for a moment you just sit in shock, no doubt crushing poor Lewis’ fingers in your death grip and struggling not to drip grossly on Vivi.

Seriously, she’s right under your nose. She should know better.

“Uh… how about we explain all this first, Vi?” Lewis says, “After all, I… kinda dragged the whole thing out a little more than necessary and then just attacked his face out of nowhere.”

“But baaaabe…”

“Vi, I _will_ steal your fries.”

“Okay, okay,” she laughs, “I think the whole point has been reached. Arthur, as you’ve probably guessed, Mystery told us you have a crush on us. Which is good! Because we have a crush on you too, obviously. Surprise!”

You cannot help another tear slipping down your cheek, but your smile is happy.

“Well, I hope so, after y’all tried to eat my face…” you laugh wetly, and Vivi reaches up to wipe at your cheeks with her scarf.

Lewis threads his fingers through yours silently and scoots around to sit behind you, pressing himself against your back with his chin on your shoulder. You can’t properly see him, but maybe that’s what he wants. After all, he _was_ about to have a meltdown and then threw caution to the wind.

You don’t mind. You know how it goes, and right now, you know he needs a few minutes to calm down a little more and let everything sink in without _two_ pairs of eyes on him.

“Trust me, ‘face eating’ will be happening a _lot_ more now that the cat’s out of the bag,” Vivi says, winking saucily at you, “I’ve wanted to tell you for quite a while because let’s be honest, you’re adorable and you’re my best friend besides Lewis, and I’ve kinda just wanted to bone you for a long time-”

“ _V-Vivi!_ ”

“-But Lewis was too embarrassed about the whole thing to admit he felt the same because he had no idea how _you_ felt. I’ve been trying to convince him for at least a year or so now to confess, but he’s apparently the shyest goof in the world when it comes to confessing a crush. Remember how he was when he was trying to ask _me_ out?”

You remember that time quite well. Lewis was suddenly avoiding Vivi, stuttering when he talked around her, refusing to be left alone with her… but he wasn’t doing that around you, what gives?

“…So, Mystery was right?” you say softly, “Lewis… you’ve been anxious about this? But… it didn’t seem that way.”

He tightens his arms around your middle, and you run your thumbs over his knuckles as he breathes a long sigh against you neck.

“Obviously I was a bit better about it this time around,” he mutters, “But then it actually came time to confess because Mystery basically gave us the confirmation that it would go in our favor, but… I panicked again and… well.”

“Like you panicked this morning?” Vivi says lightly.

Lewis freezes, and this time _you_ are the one laughing. You can’t help it. _Looks like we’re all airing our dirty laundry in one go._

Somehow you don’t mind that. The biggest secrets are out; why not? It might break the last of the tension anyways.

“A-Arthur…?” Lewis squeaks, “Don’t tell me…”

“Heh… I’m sorry. I was awake.”

He buries his face in your shoulder as Vivi cackles gleefully.

“Oh my god, I am _so_ sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen, I swear,” he stammers, “Vivi, dammit, you’re such a jerk! Stop laughing. Bad girlfriend.”

“You should have seen Arthur’s face when he realized, though! It was amazing! I really should have gotten that picture.”

“That is _not_ helping!”

She only laughs harder, and he groans against your neck as you smile.

“It’s fine, Lewis,” you say, “Honestly, I uh… I wouldn’t have minded if I knew you felt this way about me.”

“…same here, I guess. I literally didn’t know you liked us back the same until a few hours ago.”

“Until Mystery god damn told you.”

“Well, you gotta admit, would this have finally happened if he didn’t?”

“…Still gonna kill him.”

Vivi suddenly waves her hand to get your attention.

“Ever see someone struggle to put their pants on with a boner? It’s hilarious.”

“Vivi, oh my _god_.”

“It was sooooo funny.”

“Bad girlfriend!”

The three of you dissolve into laughter, and finally, you feel Lewis relax against you. Happily, you lean back into his chest, the warmth of their bodies calming you. You could fall asleep right here, with Lewis at your back and Vivi across your legs, but you know it’s not yet time to relax.

As if she can read your mind, Vivi sits up again, smoothing her sweater out mock business like and clearing her throat.

“So… Arthur,” she says, bouncing ever so slightly, “Now that this whole fiasco is out of the way… I realize we haven’t asked you out properly!”

There it is. Thankfully, Lewis does not tense up at the mention, but he _does_ stop playing with your fingers.

Waiting for you.

“Then… the ‘relationship change’…”

_Oh my god, oh my god, it’s happening, this is it._

Lewis lets you go and for one terrifying second you think you’ve done something wrong, but then he’s in front of you, taking your hand. Vivi follows suit and grabs the other one.

“Well, duh!” she chirps, “Let’s do this like it all went smoothly in the first place, shall we? Lewis, want to try again?”

Your heart begins to race. Lewis sandwiches your bony hand between his own, and clears his throat.

“Okay, so… you know where this is going. I. I, uh. I’ve been wanting to… well, I wanted to ask you to… y’know, be with us,” he trips over his words and dear god, you want to smooch him again _so badly_. He’s getting flustered all over again, even after you were basically lying in his arms, _on his lap. **After you kissed**_.

Vivi is giggling again, and he pointedly ignores her. You squeeze his hand, grinning so hard your cheeks ache, and he tries one more time.

“I mean… not that you’re not already _with_ us, but-”

“Oh, for crying out loud, Lewis.”

“Vivi, shut it! Anyways, Arthur, you know what I mean--oi, stop laughing! God, you are _horrible!_ ”

You’re laughing so hard you’re _snorting_.

“You are such a _dweeb_ , Lewis,” you wheeze, “Spit it out, Vivi wants a turn too.”

“Oh my fucking-- Alright then, _date me, you asshat_.”

Vivi _howls_ with laughter, and finally, the last barrier is broken and you lurch forward, freeing your hand from his and wrapping an arm around his neck to bring him in for another kiss. He responds in kind, threading his fingers into your hair.

And damn, this one _lasts_. It’s slow and heavy and passionate, he tastes like his stupid cinnamon toothpaste and maybe a hint of that chicken sandwich but you don’t give a single shit because he’s warm and you _love him_ and oh wow you need air to live don’t you--

Both of you break for breath and you lean your forehead onto his. His hands slide down to either side of your jaw, thumbs caressing your stubbly cheeks as you breathe together.

You’re fairly certain Vivi is using her free hand to snap photos on her smartphone of you two in your post-first-kiss red faced afterglow. You probably also look like an unshaven, baggy-eyed corpse. You don’t care.

“So eloquent, I love it,” you laugh breathlessly, “Yes… I’ll date you. I’ll date the hell out of you.”

His face is red, his hair is wild, and his smile is going to blind you.

“Wonderful,” he whispers, and the man gives you a god damned Eskimo kiss and you giggle like a dumb school girl.

Vivi is almost vibrating in place by the time you guys break eye contact. She doesn’t even try to hide the phone in her hand. _Knew it._

“Well, that was certainly a nice little display!” she declares, “But can I have a say in this before you guys _propose?_ I mean, damn.”

You lean back so you don’t snort unattractively into Lewis’ face, and he throws another pillow at her.

“Fire away,” you snicker, and she sticks her tongue out at you.

“I’ll certainly try… before you guys do.”

“…damn, that was a good one.”

“You bet your ass it was.”

She looks so pleased with her little innuendo, and you hear Lewis sputter as he tries not to laugh and protest all at the same time.

“So yeah, Lew and I are a _package_ deal, you in or what?” she says, “I mean, I pretty much know the answer already, but juuuust in case you need some convincing…”

She leans forward, batting her eyelashes and puckering her lips exaggeratedly, even taking her scarf off and tugging her shirt down a bit. It doesn’t show anything what so ever, but you’re still amused by the ridiculousness. Beside you, Lewis finally gives up and starts laughing, smashing a pillow over his face.

“You fucking nerd, of course,” you laugh at her. All inhibitions are gone. You haul her into your lap and pepper her face with kisses as she squeals, her hair fanning out around your face to tickle your cheeks.

She takes her scarf and loops it around the back of your neck, using it to keep you close. Unlike Lewis, she doesn’t settle for a simple kiss, instead reciprocating the barrage of sweet little pecks all over your face.

And it _would_ be sweet, if she wasn’t slipping in dirty little nothings between them or moving on to your neck and _using her teeth_.

“Gonna bone you so hard.”

“Oh my god.”

“Gonna smooch you in _bad_ places.”

“Vivi, no.”

“Gonna get in yo pants!”

“Did you do this shit to Lewis too?”

“Gonna-- yes, I did. Fear me.”

“Ack!”

She’s given you a quick nip on the side of the neck and you nearly self destruct on the spot. _Good god_. Your face flares with color when you feel her tongue on the mark, and when she pulls back, she licks her lips.

“Vivi.”

“Did I just discover a kink?”

“Yes? I mean… no!”

You immediately push her off and she simply flops backwards onto the bed. Her eyebrows wiggle.

“Damn, baby, you sexy.”

“Vi, I’m going to shave one of your eyebrows in your sleep.”

“Oh, noes.”

“You did _not_ just say that. I’m revoking your boning privileges for dipping into the horrors of ’07 lingo, how dare you.”

“Wow, rude!”

“My poor boner. You killed it!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll revive it later.”

Oh wow. You don’t really have a retort for that. Instead, you simply gape like a fish at her.

Sensing that she’s won, she reaches for the scarf still looped around your neck and uses it to pull you down next to her. She throws an arm and a leg across your body and snuggles into your side.

Cue flashbacks to earlier this morning. Whoops, you’re developing an adoraboner for her.

Now that you’re on your back, you can see Lewis above you fiddling with his phone. He taps the screen and it beeps, confirming your suspicions.

“Dude, were you filming that whole thing?”

“From the very beginning.”

You groan a bit as Vivi snorts into your neck.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. I look like a zombie!” You reach for his phone, but he clutches it to his chest protectively.

“No! It’s mine. I’m keeping it. Forever.”

“Even the half second kink discovery.”

“…it’s useful info.”

And with that, he stows his phone away in his pocket, safely out of your reach.

“Lewis, you’re a butt.”

“Excuse you, I am the _best_ butt.”

He flops (very gently) on top of you and Vivi, snuggling his head under your chin, and sighs happily when you card your fingers through his hair.

All talk comfortably ceases, and the three of you lie in silence for a while, simply enjoying each others’ company. Lewis, for as large as he is, is not heavy enough to stifle you; he's keeping you and Vivi quite warm with his arms curled around both of your bodies. Every now and then, Vivi places a lazy kiss at the junction between your neck and shoulder. You can see her rubbing soothing little circles on Lewis' back, and you bring your free hand up to lace your fingers with hers across his shoulders.

And now, in the easy silence, you are allowed to take in the situation at your own pace.

You’re snuggling with your _girlfriend and boyfriend_. The man and woman that you’ve dreamed of for nights on end are finally yours, and everything is _perfect_. You cannot remember the last time you felt this happy, and any anxiety you’d felt before just… melts away.

Actually, you’re getting a little misty eyed again. Smiling despite yourself, you turn to place a kiss on Vivi’s forehead…

And find you can no longer smell her blueberry shampoo.

“Oh my _god_.”

Vivi raises her head, giving you a deadpan stare. “What is it now, Ar-”

“ _I’m still sick_. You guys just macked all over a germ bag, _you’re going to get sick--_ ”

She smothers you with a pillow. “Holy shit, you dweeb. Relax,” she commands as you splutter beneath the fabric, “We already went over this. We’re gonna get sick anyways. Besides, look at Lewis. He doesn’t care. Do you, Lew?”

You throw the pillow aside when you don’t hear a response. Curious, you poke his shoulder, and receive an answering snore into your collarbone.

“…he doesn’t care because he is dead.”

“Yep. Told you.”

“B-but-!”

“No buts! Shut up and enjoy the cuddles, you boob.” She works herself free of Lewis’ giant arm and covers you both with a blanket. You watch, bewildered.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We stopped because I needed fuel. I’m gonna drive, and you two are going to sleep.”

“I’ve been sleeping for like 15 hours, man.”

“Okay, then let Lewis use you as a pillow, he’s exhausted.”

She fucking winks at you. _Wait, what?_

“…why is he exhausted?”

“Because you two are idiots who like to play in the snow at 2 in the morning. And he’s a bigger idiot who doesn’t stop fangirling when you fall asleep in his arms.”

Your face flares as she cleans the mattress around you, throwing away the remnants of your breakfast. “So he told you, huh…”

“You bet your ass. God, you guys are adorable. This is going to be so great.” She kneels at your head and presses a kiss to your forehead. “We’re going to be the best paranormal love birbs ever.”

“Birbs?”

“Birbs... oh my fucking god, maybe _I_ need to get off Tumblr…”

She climbs into the front seat as you try your best to stifle your laughter, but it’s too late. Lewis swats your arm in an attempt to shut you up.

“Darn birbs.”

You only laugh harder.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

(A week later…)

“Mystery, dammit, stop hogging the blankets.”

“ _I’m not hogging anything, you sniveling smurf_.”

“For the love of--Arthur, do something!”

You pull the van into a gas station parking lot for food and fuel, and kill the engine.

“Children, do I need to separate you?” you call to the back.

“ _I might separate Lewis’ eyeballs if he rolls onto my foot one more time_.”

“I _said_ I was _sorry!_ ”

Rolling your eyes, you climb into the back, relishing the way your body no longer aches and you can _breathe_ again.

However, once you reach the back, the smell of Vick’s vapor rub inundates your senses, and you grimace at the pitiful scene before you.

“I told you fuckers. What did I tell you?” you ask, tossing Lewis’ pathetically waving hand a roll of tissue paper.

“That we were gonna get sick,” Vivi sniffles from under a mound of blankets, “You gave us _super cooties_ , dude.”

Mystery emerges from between them, hobbling on a bandaged back foot.

“ _These ‘super cooties’ seem to be messing with Lewis’ depth perception,_ ” he sniffs, “ _He’s rolled onto my foot twice already_.”

“You get no sympathy from me, you little snitch,” you tease, rubbing his ears, “You shouldn’t have jammed yourself under the front seat and fallen asleep!”

“ _You shouldn’t have chased me! And Vivi shouldn’t have forgotten to check under the seat before adjusting it_ \--”

“It’s not my fault, you soggy bagel,” she croaks, “Lewis, gimme the roll, I need more nose plugs.”

Having already fashioned his own, Lewis hands her the roll and gives you puppy eyes.

“Don’t give me that look, dude. You used a sick man as a pillow. You brought this upon yourself,” you laugh.

“Ugh, I usually have a great immune system. I wasn’t worried,” he groans, “She’s right, you gave us super cooties. You’re gross.”

“You’re the gross one now, bucko,” you snicker, “Do you guys need anything?”

“I need to not be leaking my brain out of my nose.”

“Tough luck, Lew.”

He whines, flopping backwards. Vivi tosses a pillow at you.

“Feed me,” she demands, pulling the blankets up to her nose. “I demand donuts.”

“Vivi, you have got to be kidding me, that’s not something you eat when you’re sick--”

“DONUTS.”

Lewis shrugs as you look to him for help. “There’s no negotiating with her when she’s sick.”

“I wish you would have told me that before I let her invade my face.”

“I’m gonna invade more than that if I don’t get my donuts,” she says, trying to glare at you. Ultimately, it fails as she sneezes, rocketing her nose plugs out of her face. They pelt Mystery and he yelps, skittering backwards.

“ _Snot bullets! SNOT BULLETS. You are DISGUSTING_ \--”

“Your _face_ is disgusting--”

Lewis sends you a look that can only be translated as _smother me now, please._

You don your jacket, giving him an apologetic kiss on the forehead.

“I’ll be right back with offerings to appease the beast,” you snicker, “Until then, you’ve got to fend for yourself.”

“You’d better hurry, or I’m gonna eat his face before you get back,” Vivi says, wiggling her eyebrows.

“ _Oh my god, please, no. I do not need that image burned into my brain. You both are gross_.”

“Mystery, you’re a tiny asshole, I hope you know that.”

“ _Fight me, o blue snotty one._ ”

With haste, you exit the van before pillows can fly. The other patrons at the gas pumps stare as the van begins to rock back and forth, no doubt being ravaged from within by a girl and her dog.

You hurry into the shop to grab some goodies, and you can only smile to yourself as you grab an extra large pack of beef jerky for Mystery. After all, he’s the one who got you into this mess.

_The best wingmen get the best treats._

**Author's Note:**

> So many italicizations. Why do I do this to myself? WHY?


End file.
